A Caged Bird
by Vilkacis
Summary: AU: A different time, a different place. Shizuru/Natsuki


Notes: Not written in a while, but lately I felt strangely inspired. This fic should be short. Planned three parts. 

I.  
The first time Shizuru saw the girl she was fourteen. It was a cool, spring day and she had been walking through the courtyard, surrounded on either side by handmaidens and advisers. It was the same as always; idle chatter and gossip and nothing of any interest. She let her gaze stray to the side, towards the main gate. Then she saw her.

A girl, around her age, her clothes torn and dirty being dragged by two large guards towards the castle. The girl's dark hair hung in her face and she was struggling against her captors. One of the guards had a bloody nose already.

"My lady?" Lyra, one of her handmaidens spoke, her voice curious. Shizuru realized then that she had stopped walking. Her retainers all seemed to follow her gaze.

"Ah, that must be the girl," Francis, one of the older advisers said, frowning.

"Girl?" Shizuru repeated, curious.

"Hitoshi of the Kuga Clan's daughter. She's been sent to foster here as a hostage for her father's good behavior," Francis explained. "That province has always been difficult."

"I see," was all Shizuru said, then with a smile continued walking.

II.  
Two days passed. Shizuru had not yet been able to meet the girl. She had heard the rumors though. The girl was insufferable, one guard had complained. Five attempted escapes and she was still refusing to eat. Apparently the girl had a violent temper and did not speak. More of a wolf than a person, one of the maids had said in disgust. Shizuru said nothing to all this and merely listened.

Another day came and went. She managed to elude her entourage and find a few moments of peace to herself. She had stolen away to the garden for a walk when she saw her again. The girl was standing a ways off the path, this time dressed in clean clothes, staring at a patch of pink mums. Slowly, the girl reached out and picked a flower, looking at it for a long moment before crushing it in her hand.

"They're looking for you," Shizuru had said without wanting to speak. The girl had spun around then, petals falling from her hand, looking as though she might attack. Shizuru simply smiled. "You shouldn't do that," she said indicating the remains of the mum. "Flowers are meant to be loved, as they do their best to blossom for the duration of their short life."

The girl had frowned at her, but then looked almost guiltily down at the crushed blossom in her hand. She looked back up at Shizuru, but still said nothing.

Her eyes were very green, Shizuru found herself thinking. Clear, green eyes that showed anger-and pain. Shizuru paused a moment, then asked, "Your name?"

The girl looked at her, then without answering ran past Shizuru and down the garden path. Shizuru stared after her, completely baffled. No one had ever ignored her.

Much later that evening, Shizuru managed to find out the girl's name: Natsuki.

III.  
It was a week before she saw Natsuki again. This time though, Shizuru had planned everything. Her father protested at first, saying that it was dangerous for her daughter to spend time with the girl. But she persisted, and as always, won. After all, the girl would one day lead the Kuga Clan. It was best to attempt civil relations for now.

There was a sharp knock on the door, and then Natsuki entered the room flanked by a guard, a wary look on her face as she glanced around. Shizuru nodded at the guard, then waved her hand dismissing him. She had dressed as nice as possible for this occasion, spending a long time selecting her dress--dark blue with silver embroidery. Smiling at Natsuki, Shizuru gestured for her to sit.

Natsuki simply looked at her, her mouth set in a hard line and her eyes full of mistrust. She folded her arms across her chest.

"Tea?" Shizuru offered, neatly pouring a cup and pushing it across the table. "It's very good."

A half hour passed. The tea was left untouched and Natsuki had not yet moved from her spot by the door. Shizuru had not stopped smiling though, occasionally asking a question that would be answered only with silence. Eventually the guard knocked and Shizuru let him take Natsuki away. She found herself unable to sleep that night, her mind filled with images of Natsuki's scowling face.

She had Natsuki brought to her again the following night, and then the night after. Each night though, the maid would come afterwards and take with her a filled cup of cold tea.

IV.  
"Oolong tea," Shizuru said pouring a cup on the eighth night, never taking her eyes off Natsuki. "From the Fuuka Province."

Shizuru thought that perhaps something from Natsuki's home would trigger a conversation, but instead Natsuki's eyes grew harder and instead of simply distrust, she looked at Shizuru with hatred. Shizuru said nothing after that.

The next night when Natsuki was brought to her, Shizuru laid a dagger on the table. It was wickedly sharp, the blade slightly curved. The pommel was set with an emerald. Natsuki looked at it, then back at Shizuru.

"This what you want?" Shizuru asked, still smiling. "Not tea, but a weapon?"

Natsuki said nothing, but simply stared at her and the weapon in completely silence, an unreadable look on her face. For a moment, Shizuru thought she had failed. But then Natsuki stepped forward and picked up the knife. "You don't know anything about me," the girl growled, then slammed the dagger down, burying the blade into the table. "Leave me alone."

Shizuru laughed then, unable to help herself. She placed a hand across her mouth, trying to muffle the sound.

"What's so funny?" Natsuki asked, looking completely taken aback. Her voice was low and rough, but to Shizuru it was musical.

"You can speak after all," Shizuru said happily. Natsuki only snorted at that, folding her arms back across her chest.

V.  
Shizuru learned many things about Natsuki in the following months. Natsuki only drank tea if there was an equal amount of sugar to be added to it. She had been trained in a variety of martial arts back in her home country. She loved dogs, but loathed cats.

Natsuki was still wary at times, still quiet, but she spoke now for whatever reason. Shizuru found that the other girl was easily embarrassed and quick to anger, but she calmed down just as easily. As time passed, she would take Natsuki with her riding sometimes, or to town for shopping. To Shizuru's surprise and delight, Natsuki seemed to actually like clothing and especially undergarments. Shizuru soon found herself coming up with any excuse to bring the dark haired girl along, if only for the hope of catching a rare smile.

She heard the maids joke about how the Princess had finally tamed the angry wolf. Her handmaidens made comments too, though sometimes they seemed more jealous than anything else. The truth of the matter though, was not that Shizuru had tamed Natsuki, but that Natsuki had tamed her. Shizuru could not explain it, even to herself.

"You've changed," Reito told her one day over lunch.

"I don't know what you mean by that," Shizuru said to the young lord, sipping calmly at her tea. He let the matter drop.

It was true though, Shizuru had changed, though no one but Reito seemed to have notice. It was as though something had awakened inside of her. Everything looked different, felt different, and at times it was almost frightening.

"Shizuru, look," Natsuki said one day, while they were coming back from a ride. She pointed to a clearing near the woods where a deer and her fawn were grazing. Shizuru stopped. Natsuki had never said her name before. It was her name too, not 'My lady' or 'Princess,' but 'Shizuru.' Natsuki frowned at her silence, looking at her curiously, "What?"

_I am in love with you,_ Shizuru thought with startling clarity. She gazed at Natsuki, who sat astride the horse, her hair flowing down her back. She felt something throb within her chest, hard and painful. "Nothing," she said, spurring her horse.


End file.
